Evaluation of Ultrafiltration Membranes for Virus Removal from Synthetic Wastewater using Cross-Flow Filtration

12/02/2024

Recent viral outbreaks have highlighted critical shortcomings in systems for predicting, preventing, and containing viruses, particularly in water treatment and surveillance. This study explores a pressure-driven membrane filtration approach designed for dual purposes: removing viruses from water and capturing viral particles for pathological surveillance. The approach aims to enhance water quality and mitigate infection spread. The study evaluated the performance of ultrafiltration membranes, including three cellulose acetate membranes (CA/SiO2-33, CA-35, CA-39) and a graphene oxide-based membrane (NematiQ). A positively charged nylon microfiltration membrane (Roche) served as a control for benchmarking viral removal. Using a cross-flow filtration system at low pressure and flow rates, membrane performance was assessed by measuring water and saline flux under applied pressure. Initial tests using the Roche membrane validated the system’s efficacy with synthetic wastewater spiked with bacteriophage SPP1. Viral DNA was quantified via qPCR from feed and permeate samples, confirming the control membrane’s high retention capacity. Parallel testing showed that CA-35 and NematiQ membranes had strong viral rejection capabilities. NematiQ was selected for large-scale testing due to its commercial availability and reproducibility. In high-pressure, high-flow trials, the NematiQ membrane demonstrated stable performance and effective virus retention, indicated by higher viral concentrations in feed versus permeate samples. These results highlight the NematiQ membrane’s potential for practical virus removal and its suitability for public health monitoring via viral capture.

Authors in the community:

• 

  M

  Margarida Pereira Valente

  ist196615

Supervisors of this institution:

• 

  M

  Mónica Cristina Faria Besteiro

  ist90270

chemical-engineering - Chemical engineering

por - Portuguese

Instituto Superior Técnico